Alinsky's rules for radicals. In play now?

RULE 1: "Power is not only what you have, but what the enemy thinks you have." Power is derived from 2 main sources - money and people. "Have-Nots" must build power from flesh and blood. (These are two things of which there is a plentiful supply. Government and corporations always have a difficult time appealing to people, and usually do so almost exclusively with economic arguments.)

RULE 2: "Never go outside the expertise of your people." It results in confusion, fear and retreat. Feeling secure adds to the backbone of anyone. (Organizations under attack wonder why radicals don't address the "real" issues. This is why. They avoid things with which they have no knowledge.)

RULE 3: "Whenever possible, go outside the expertise of the enemy." Look for ways to increase insecurity, anxiety and uncertainty. (This happens all the time. Watch how many organizations under attack are blind-sided by seemingly irrelevant arguments that they are then forced to address.)

RULE 4: "Make the enemy live up to its own book of rules." If the rule is that every letter gets a reply, send 30,000 letters. You can kill them with this because no one can possibly obey all of their own rules. (This is a serious rule. The besieged entity's very credibility and reputation is at stake, because if activists catch it lying or not living up to its commitments, they can continue to chip away at the damage.)

RULE 5: "Ridicule is man's most potent weapon." There is no defense. It's irrational. It's infuriating. It also works as a key pressure point to force the enemy into concessions. (Pretty crude, rude and mean, huh? They want to create anger and fear.)

RULE 6: "A good tactic is one your people enjoy." They'll keep doing it without urging and come back to do more. They're doing their thing, and will even suggest better ones. (Radical activists, in this sense, are no different that any other human being. We all avoid "un-fun" activities, and but we revel at and enjoy the ones that work and bring results.)

RULE 7: "A tactic that drags on too long becomes a drag." Don't become old news. (Even radical activists get bored. So to keep them excited and involved, organizers are constantly coming up with new tactics.)

RULE 8: "Keep the pressure on. Never let up." Keep trying new things to keep the opposition off balance. As the opposition masters one approach, hit them from the flank with something new. (Attack, attack, attack from all sides, never giving the reeling organization a chance to rest, regroup, recover and re-strategize.)

RULE 9: "The threat is usually more terrifying than the thing itself." Imagination and ego can dream up many more consequences than any activist. (Perception is reality. Large organizations always prepare a worst-case scenario, something that may be furthest from the activists' minds. The upshot is that the organization will expend enormous time and energy, creating in its own collective mind the direst of conclusions. The possibilities can easily poison the mind and result in demoralization.)

RULE 10: "If you push a negative hard enough, it will push through and become a positive." Violence from the other side can win the public to your side because the public sympathizes with the underdog. (Unions used this tactic. Peaceful [albeit loud] demonstrations during the heyday of unions in the early to mid-20th Century incurred management's wrath, often in the form of violence that eventually brought public sympathy to their side.)

RULE 11: "The price of a successful attack is a constructive alternative." Never let the enemy score points because you're caught without a solution to the problem. (Old saw: If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the problem. Activist organizations have an agenda, and their strategy is to hold a place at the table, to be given a forum to wield their power. So, they have to have a compromise solution.)

RULE 12: Pick the target, freeze it, personalize it, and polarize it." Cut off the support network and isolate the target from sympathy. Go after people and not institutions; people hurt faster than institutions. (This is cruel, but very effective. Direct, personalized criticism and ridicule works.)

Do any of these look familiar with what is going on in today's political scene? I can think of an example of almost, if not every tactic.

Also see Saul Alinsky's dedication that was written in Rules for Radicals...

“Lest we forget at least an over the shoulder acknowledgement of the very first radical, from all our legends, mythology, and history … the first radical known to man who rebelled against the establishment and did it so effectively that he at least won his own kingdom—Lucifer.”

Also, reference Barack Obama and the Strategy of Manufactured Crisis. Open your eyes to what is happening and teach others to do so as well. Our public is being manipulated out of fear and ignorance. A year ago I wouldn't have thought this was possible and would have called believers in such a theory tin-foil hat wearing conspiracy theorists but today, it's unavoidable for the free-thinking person to be blind to what's unfolding to the sadistic glee of American globalist liberals. It's sad and scary...

A year ago I wouldn't have thought this was possible and would have called believers in such a theory tin-foil hat wearing conspiracy theorists but today, it's unavoidable for the free-thinking person to be blind to what's unfolding to the sadistic glee of American globalist liberals.

Since the post has a new home which makes it less likely to be seen by anyone, I'll revive it with a post...

I think someone has missed the point on this post. Few Americans are politically-driven to understand the issues. Even on a firearms forum, few check the political forums. Relegating truth to the abscesses of a political forum will not bring about change, awakening or understanding.

Thanks but no thanks... It's difficult to believe that we combat our own kind in the information war.

I believe that most folks benefit from political posts. I believe most folks do not understand the seriousness of our grievances until they've seen the specifics. To this end, this thread has been relegated to the Fire for Effect Forum by some moderator, undeserving of the title on such a firearms forum. The purpose of this thread is to educate prospective firearms owners and voters on this forum. I contend that gravely poor judgment has placed this thread and others into territory critically important to members of this forum, for which they will never see...

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